Sometimes things are just meant to be. That’s certainly how it felt to singer-songwriter Jennifer Jae when she walked into A&B Music in Geelong after nearly 20 years out of the music scene.
Jae walked into the music store in April, 2023 on a whim and began chatting with a staff member, enquiring if he knew any guitarists who might be interested in playing some soul, funk and blues music.
As it turned out, that staff member, Tim Fogarty, was both a guitarist and interested.
“We started jamming after that and did a few gigs as a duo, but the main goal for me was to try to get my original stuff into a band format,” Jae said.
“It was the two of us for about a year and then we started looking for other band members.
“The most important thing was getting people that Tim and I gelled with and got along with, but also people that had a similar taste in music.”
By the end of 2024 the new band, The Mojae, had solidified, with bassist Tom Lyons and drummer Joel Williams joining in quick succession.
The band currently has an album in the works and hopes to hit the festival circuit next year and begin broadening their audience.
For Jae, who moved from her childhood home of Kalgoorlie to study at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, returning to music after a break of more than 15 years has been uplifting.
“Music has always been such an important thing in my life,” she said.
“Without even really verbalising it or knowing it as a kid, it was the thing that made me happy. If I spent time on my own, I’d be in my room with the tape player going and singing along.
“Dad was a big country music listener, so there was a lot of Linda Ronstadt and Dusty Springfield around me growing up. And I think that has influenced me probably more than I realise.”
The Mojae are at the Barn at the Barwon Club on Sunday 14 December from 2pm to 5pm. Visit doublepevents.com.au for tickets and more information.
